Why Tre Jones is the San Antonio Spurs’ new point guard of the future
By Cal Durrett
Tre Jones is having a real impact on the San Antonio Spurs.
While much of Jone’s offensive value comes from his playmaking, he’s become more of a scoring threat this season. Previously, Jones relied mostly on layups and pull-up jumpers but has worked on adding a floater for when he can’t get to the basket. He has also been more aggressive shooting from outside when playing off-ball.
The results have been positive. Jones has hit 37.5% of his 2.3 3-point attempts per game, after only shooting 19.6% last season. Teams have yet to adjust to his improved jumper and are still leaving him wide open. When they do, however, that will help both him and the Spurs. Teammate Keldon Johnson has emerged as both the Spurs’ leading scorer as well as their second-best playmaker.
As his usage rate increases, Jones will be asked to play off-ball more, something he hasn’t been able to do effectively in the past. Being able to knock down spot-up threes will help open up driving lanes for Johnson, who’s a bruising slasher playing on a team without much spacing.
Defensively, Jones is above-average and utilizes quick feet to stay in front of opposing point guards and active hands to force turnovers or contest shots. Through seven games, players defended by Jones are shooting just 38.6%. By comparison, Marcus Smart is allowing 51.4% this season thus far.